--- description: Find out why "Maggie; Or, a Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar" is on TIME's list of the must-read books of the year. title: 'Maggie; Or, a Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar' Is One of the 100 Must-Read Books of 2025 image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta526f214e5ec4d96/6998cb2df1b08281f36f1d3e/100_Books_2025_maggie-or-a-man-and-a-woman-walk-into-a-bar-9781668084212_hr.png?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 --- Nov 12, 2025 # Maggie; Or, a Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar by Katie Yee by [TIME Staff](/author/time-staff/) ## TIME Staff Update your preferences in [Account Settings](/account/preferences/) Close  The unnamed narrator of Katie Yee’s debut novel just discovered that she has breast cancer and that her husband and the father of their two young kids is having an affair. And yet she hasn’t lost her sense of humor, compiling “The Guide to My Husband: A User’s Manual” for the mistress—so she can point out his “favorite fork”—and even naming her tumor after the woman. At the same time, the protagonist finds herself thinking back to lessons from her mother, who died of the same disease she now has, and looking to Chinese folklore for comfort and reassurance. Luckily, she has her best friend Darlene to accompany her to doctor’s appointments and binge-watch _Gilmore Girls_ with her. Yee writes about tragedy in a surprisingly hilarious and affecting way. —_Olivia B. Waxman_ **_These are independent reviews of the products mentioned, but TIME receives a commission when purchases are made through affiliate links at no additional cost to the purchaser._** **Buy Now:** _Maggie; Or, a Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar_ on [Bookshop](https://bookshop.org/a/4973/9781668084212 "undefined") | [Amazon](https://amzn.to/43meGjv "undefined") These are independent reviews of the products mentioned, but TIME receives a commission when purchases are made through affiliate links at no additional cost to the purchaser. Maggie; Or, a Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar: 100 Must-Read Books of 2025 ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"Article","@id":"https://time.com/collections/the-100-must-read-books-of-2025/7329524/maggie-or-a-man-and-a-woman-walk-into-a-bar/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/collections/the-100-must-read-books-of-2025/7329524/maggie-or-a-man-and-a-woman-walk-into-a-bar/"},"headline":"'Maggie; Or, a Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar' Is on the 100 Must-Read Books 2025","datePublished":"2025-11-12T13:00:07.000Z","dateModified":"2026-03-03T01:02:50.257Z","description":"","url":"https://time.com/collections/the-100-must-read-books-of-2025/7329524/maggie-or-a-man-and-a-woman-walk-into-a-bar/","keywords":["Books","E-Commerce","list","ecommerce","Special Project"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta526f214e5ec4d96/6998cb2df1b08281f36f1d3e/100_Books_2025_maggie-or-a-man-and-a-woman-walk-into-a-bar-9781668084212_hr.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"TIME Staff","jobTitle":null,"url":"https://time.com/author/time-staff/"}],"creator":"TIME Staff","articleSection":"Entertainment","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blta526f214e5ec4d96/6998cb2df1b08281f36f1d3e/100_Books_2025_maggie-or-a-man-and-a-woman-walk-into-a-bar-9781668084212_hr.png?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/entertainment/","name":"Entertainment"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/books/","name":"Books"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/collections/the-100-must-read-books-of-2025/7329524/maggie-or-a-man-and-a-woman-walk-into-a-bar/","name":"'Maggie; Or, a Man and a Woman Walk Into a Bar' Is on the 100 Must-Read Books 2025"}}]}] ```